march 2017 books…

Cheltenham Square Murder (John Bude): Another John Bude/Inspector Meredith book from the British Library Crime Classics. Originally published in 1937, it follows the pattern of the other Bude books I’ve read – somewhat implausible, far-fetched crime scenario with a group of unlikely characters worthy of a game of ‘Cluedo’… and the rather late-in-the-day introduction of key facts that magically allow the mystery to be solved! Nevertheless, an enjoyable, easy-read, escapist novel.
How To Disappear Completely (Si Smith): This 64-page comic is one of my Lent books this year. Its author/artist, Si Smith, is a great mate of mine. It’s profound, harrowing, challenging, sad, uplifting, funny and hauntingly beautiful. It reflects on the realities of life and faith in modern-day Leeds: “there is beauty here, if you look for it…but it’s a thin line – love and hate and this city is an ugly place too, with its gaudy excesses… and this compulsion to consume and be consumed”. But you don’t need to have a faith to appreciate this gem… it contains messages for us all in today’s materialistic, greedy world. A really excellent book.
Cross Country Murder Song (Philip Wilding): I bought this book on a whim from the £3 Bookshop. I didn’t read the blurb on the book’s cover – as far as I was concerned it was something of an escapist crime novel. Well, this proved to be a bit of an understatement. It’s a complex, disturbing, hauntingly sinister book. A man “with a headful of secrets” and a difficult past takes a journey from New Jersey to California. On his trip he meets a host of weird (and frequently frightening and often pathetic) characters. Let’s just say that it reminded me of watching one of Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns – when you lose count of the bodies in the first 5 minutes! It’s a strangely-compelling and very dark (with funny moments!).
The 12.30 From Croydon (Freeman Wills Crofts): Yet another crime novel (again from the British Library Crime Classics, first published in 1934)… my period of escapist, easy-reading continues! However, this is a somewhat unconventional crime story. It starts with a body but, almost immediately, we know who carried out the murder. The remainder of the book is seen from the criminal’s perspective – his ‘justification’ for the deed and his intricate plans to carry out the killing without leaving any traces. Will he get away with it? It’s a clever, unorthodox and very intriguing story.
Venice (Jan Morris): I bought the 1993 edition of this book (first published in 1960) in 1998. I’d never read it straight through until now (I’d previously read chunks of it, but only in a somewhat piecemeal fashion). Having re-read Morris’s “Oxford” book recently (and hugely enjoyed it again), I decided that the time had come for me to give ‘Venice’ proper consideration. Venice is probably my favourite city in the world. I think I’ve visited it four times – the first in 1968 (just two years after the great sea flood which made us fear for the city’s long-term survival) and the last time in 1997 (in celebration of our silver wedding anniversary). Morris is a simply brilliant writer and this is a truly stunning book – made all the better in the knowledge that, having lived in the city (and been a boat-owner), she’s able to get under its skin and reveal a very different picture of Venice. With her detailed descriptions and vivid prose (each page crammed full of history, engineering, art, culture, people and gossip!), she provides a COMPLETELY absorbing, factual and emotional evocation of this historic and captivating city. I think we need to return!

how to disappear completely…

One of my Lent books this year is Si Smith’s comic entitled “How To Disappear Completely”.
Yes, one of my Lent books is a comic.
Its author/artist, Si Smith, is a great mate of mine. As well as being a Christian and a brilliant artist, he’s funny, thought-provoking and hugely inventive. Over the years of our friendship, he’s regularly come up with stuff that makes me think or he suggests music that he reckons I’d like (invariably, he’s absolutely right) or he recommends Bristol theatre/gigs (he lives in Leeds!) or he gets me involved in various art projects. I’m constantly amazed by his creativity and the breadth of his abilities.  
Well, I’ve read his 64-page comic several times already (and I just know that I’ll be reading it SEVERAL more times this Lent… and well beyond). It’s profound, harrowing, challenging, sad, uplifting, funny and hauntingly beautiful. It reflects on the realities of life and faith in modern-day Leeds: “there is beauty here, if you look for it…but it’s a thin line – love and hate and this city is an ugly place too, with its gaudy excesses… and this compulsion to consume and be consumed”.
But you don’t need to have a faith to appreciate this gem… it contains messages for us all in today’s materialistic, greedy world… (and I just KNOW I’ll gain new discoveries every time I read it – seeing small details that I’d previously missed).
I know I’ll continue to reflect on it for days and months to come.
Typically (and brilliantly), Si has also included a suggested playlist to accompany his comic… and, of course, it really does provide a perfect soundtrack (he’s a very clever man).
So, whether you’re a person of faith, or an artist, or into pop culture, or simply someone who cares about our world… I can’t recommend this publication strongly enough (and, ridiculously, it only costs £6.50, including postage).

february 2017 books…

The Sussex Downs Murder (John Bude): First published in the 1930s, this is the second John Bude crime fiction book I’ve read. This one features Superintendent Meredith as the investigator. Enjoyable, easy, escapist, light reading – even if I’d basically worked out what had happened after the first 100 pages!
Dame Laura Knight (Caroline Fox): I’ve been a fairly recent convert to the art of Laura Knight, 1877-1970 (principally after seeing one of paintings at The National Portrait Gallery). This excellent book, published in 1988, provides a very well-illustrated account of her life and her work. She was the first woman artist to be made a Dame (and one of the first women to be Royal Academicians). Born in Derbyshire, she was brought up by her mother (her father had left shortly before her birth) and her grandmother. Encouraged by her mother (who taught art for a while), Laura enrolled at the Nottingham School of Art at the age of 13 (one of their youngest ever pupils) and there met her future husband, artist Harold Knight. During the course of her long lifetime, she produced a remarkably varied range of work – from early images in a Yorkshire fishing village, vibrant pictures of Cornwall, to her WW2 work and her subsequent visual record of the Nuremberg trials. She was most famous for her portrayals of the world of London’s theatre and ballet, and of the circus and I was particularly impressed by her colourful, vigorous paintings of gypsies and fairgrounds. At some stage, I think I need to read her two autobiographies.
Politics (Nick Clegg): I’ve read a fair number of political autobiographies over the years and the one thing they all have in common is that the authors have the gift of the gab! You just KNOW that they’ll be able to justify lots of their poor decisions… and almost convince you they were right. Actually, I’ve always thought Clegg was ‘one of the good guys’ and this is an excellent, frank account of his experiences in coalition government with the Tories and the LibDem’s subsequent disastrous showing in the 2015 general election… and then, of course, the awful outcome of the EU referendum. I’ve also posted a separate blog about Clegg’s book and about the future of politics in this country (not a bundle of laughs!).
The Boys In The Boat (Daniel James Brown): This is a powerful, true story about the 1936 American eights crew at the Berlin Olympics - how nine “working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler’s Berlin”. The Times critic cleverly described the book as “Chariots of Fire with oars” – which just about sums it up. It’s a hugely gripping, inspiring story and I really enjoyed the book. My one criticism is the book’s syrupy, somewhat gushing “narrative non-fiction” writing style (this is just a random example: “She glanced across the seat at Joe, and saw at once, through a blur of tears, that his eyes were full of hurt too. But his jaw was set, and he stared ahead over the steering wheel rather than turning to look at her”!!). Nevertheless, it’s a brilliantly researched book and an absolutely brilliant story. Well worth reading.  
Cheerful Weather For The Wedding (Julia Strachey): This is another one of Moira’s beautiful Persephone books and (it’s strange how things work out) the painting on the cover, “Girl Reading” 1932, just happens to be by Harold Knight – Laura Knight’s husband (see previous book, above!). First published in 1932, this ‘novella’ describes the events that took place on Dolly Thatcher’s wedding day – she’s decided to marry someone she hardly knows (or loves?)(it appears that Strachey wrote it at a time when her own marriage was failing). It captures the minutiae and chaos of the day within a well-to-do family of somewhat absurd (yet fascinating) characters – especially the ridiculous, frequently distracted and vague mother of the bride. I really quite enjoyed it!